


Of Course I'm Not

by Mossy_Birch (Mossy_Bench)



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Episode: s02e26 Do No harm, Extra Treat, F/F, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship, Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 09:22:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17764121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mossy_Bench/pseuds/Mossy_Birch
Summary: Eiffel was stable. That was all Minkowski could ask for right now.***Title is from Season 2 Episode 26, Do No Harm.Minkowski: ...and you are not going to stop me.Lovelace: Of course I'm not.





	Of Course I'm Not

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silvereye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvereye/gifts).



> Happy Valentine’s Day! <3

Eiffel was stable. That was all Minkowski could ask for right now. She would never forget the sight of Eiffel struggling to breathe. It'd be yet another addition to her rapidly growing arsenal of nightmares which made her wake up in a cold sweat, dread rushing through her veins and making her freeze with fear.

Minkowski remained at Eiffel's side for a little while. He was secured in the zero-gravity version of a bed, head lolling. He drooled, and Minkowski ought to be disgusted. But she was just thankful that it was plain old saliva on his mouth and not blood, and that he was in bed and not on an examination table.

She sighed. She couldn't mope around forever. There were still things to take care of, and now they had an extra person's duties to make up for. That could be dealt with, though. Minkowski had other things on her mind, too. She was beginning to think—well, she'd have to run it by Lovelace, but—

A throat clearing interrupted her thoughts. Minkowski twisted around to see Lovelace at the entrance of Hilbert's lab. "How is he?" she asked. 

"Fine," Minkowski said. "How are you?"

"I’m alright.”

Silence hung between them a little too long.

"Look -"

"Minkowski -"

They both stopped, and Minkowski resisted the urge to cough nervously. "Lovelace, I really have to thank you."

Lovelace shrugged. "It's not like I could have let him die." 

"You gave your blood. Listen, even though we didn't get off to the best start...”

"You mean me threatening to blow us all up?" Lovelace said dryly.

"Well. That might have had something to do with it." They really should do something about that bomb, make sure it was properly disabled. But it was the least of their concerns right now. Minkowski would add it to her List of Things To Do Eventually When Not Half-Dead With Exhaustion and/or Terror.

It's a long list.

Minkowski tried to smile. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Lovelace said, then paused. "You know, when I finally take my shuttle back to Earth--I just want to say, you two are totally welcome to come along, if you're interested."

Minkowski felt her shoulders sag a bit in relief. "Thank you. That's really good to know. I'm sure Eiffel will want to talk about it extensively when he wakes up, but. Thank you."

Lovelace glanced down at Eiffel's slack form. "You really care about him a lot."

"If you'd told me that a few months ago, I would have laughed in your face. But really we're all just trying to survive. It's good to have each other’s backs." Minkowski steeled her nerves. "Lovelace. I know you're raring to get on your shuttle and fly back to Earth as soon as possible. I get it. And I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful for the offer. But maybe we should wait." At Lovelace's expression, she quickly added, "Can we at least wait until Eiffel's better? Hilbert says he'll be mostly recovered in a week or so."

"Anything else?" Lovelace said. She didn’t sound totally furious yet, so Minkowski barreled ahead.

"I know it'd be a lot of extra work. And we shouldn't get Eiffel's hopes up. But I can't just leave Hera alone up here." Minkowski could  _feel_ Hera about to interject.  _Not now_. She shot a pleading look at the optical monitors as she continued, and Hera was mercifully silent. "I know it's a lot to ask, but we have to at least try and see if there's any way to take her with us."

Lovelace, impossibly, began to smile. It was humorless, but the curve on her lips was unmistakable. "You know, I can't say I'm jumping for joy over the prospect, but I get it. Sure. I agree to your terms."

Minkowski blinked. Her many supporting arguments, which she'd prepared in advance, died in her throat. "Oh. Why?”

Lovelace laughed a little, and for whatever reason, it set Minkowski's heart racing. "You know, Minkowski, you _are_ the commander of this crew. You should see the way Eiffel looks at you. You should hear how Hera talks about you. They trust that you'll make the right decision for them. And I guess I should try to do that, too."

Minkowski found herself blushing, and her mind short-circuited, trying to reconcile this new information with the person she'd thought Lovelace. "Haven't you seen how much the two of them argue with me?" she said in disbelief. "And both Eiffel and Hera try to pull schemes right under my nose all the time. Hera's much better at it" (there was an almost imperceptible hum of agreement from the ceiling) "but still, it's infuriating."

"That's just how they show it, Minkowski," Lovelace said, more seriously, but there was still a hint of a smile around her mouth. And somehow that was worse, because for the first time she was saying Minkowski's name with respect, and trust, and maybe even a little warmth, and it was driving Minkowski crazy. In fact, she felt oddly like crying. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because true respect had to be earned, and she'd finally earned Lovelace's, and the relief was getting to her—but then again, she hadn't ever felt this way with Eiffel or Hera.

She was just tired. That was it.

“Well, in the end, we’re all up here together,” Minkowski said, fumbling to recover. “And we have the same goal. It makes sense to do the decision-making together, from now on.”

Lovelace’s eyes were too perceptive. Minkowski avoided them. She was not yet ready to think about just how scared she’d been, how she’d been helpless for a terrifying moment. She'd think about it later, when it broke her sleep to pieces.

Instead, Minkowski stretched. "I've been here too long. I should go work on something." Inconveniently, that was when she yawned.

Lovelace laughed again. "Go. Sleep. Eiffel will be perfectly alright in the meantime."

"I'm fine," Minkowski said, but was again thwarted by another yawn. She waved Lovelace off. "I'm going, I'm going. But you let me know the second anything happens."

"Sure thing." Lovelace moved aside to let Minkowski past. “Sleep well, Minkowski.”

As Minkowski made her way through the station, she felt tired, but more secure. Eiffel would be okay. And Lovelace was starting to become an ally, someone they could trust. Minkowski hoped it would last.


End file.
